Absolutely random recipe thread

[Serapth]

Inspired by this thread (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=13977) I am going to attempt a completely new recipe tonight ( also, because my wife is gone tonight ). Anyways, here is what I propose we do with this thread. Plan a recipe out in your head, announce the ingredients you intend to use, how you intend to cook it, let other people join in with suggestions, then later, actually create the recipe and let others know how it turns out.

I mean, seriously, the best meals are the ones you discover when no using or following a recipe.

I encourage others to join in, and be sure to let us know when it turns out to be awful, instead of just the ones that turn out great. Let us learn from each others mistakes.

[diablopath]

Why don't you start us off?

[Hawkzombie]

I'm gonna try that chicken recipe you posted in the other thread, and was wondering what cheeses could be used instead of blue. I thought maybe feta, but I dunno...

[Serapth]

What I am doing tonight...

I have a striploin defrosting in the sink right now. Sadly, I know from prior experience the cut is actually only so-so ( which is a shame as the butcher I got it from is normally excellent ) so I need some added flavors. As from the inspired thread, I think I am going to go with blue cheese and a bit of kick, plus I am an avid salt fan and an avid anti steak sauce nazi...

I am going to coat the striploin in course salt and pepper ( probably actually going to use a peppercorn shaker mix ) and sear it quickly in my skillet then transfer to the oven. While that is happening, I think I will combine butter, garlic and pepper in a pestle, then crumble in bluecheese. Once the steak has cooked about 4 minutes, I will pull it out, flip it and apply my bluecheese/peppercorn butter and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Let it sit about 5 minutes and serve. Will let you know how it goes.

[civil]

Hawk, try a goat cheese. For some added depth you might try a Drunken Goat cheese (infused with wine). Though if you're going for the creamy thing, regular goat cheese would work.


EDIT: Canadian, try some paprika with the salt/pepper. It goes well with vein-y cheeses.

[Serapth]

I'm gonna try that chicken recipe you posted in the other thread, and was wondering what cheeses could be used instead of blue. I thought maybe feta, but I dunno...

Feta would probably work, as would swiss. All ready depends on the type of cheeses you like. I mean, if you really wanted to kick up the heat, use a jalepeno encrusted cheese.

[Hawkzombie]

That's just it, I'm NOT a cheese guy...and I read what you said about no oily cheeses in the other thread, and feta I like because it has a nice mild flavor. I think I might go with either the feta or the swiss...Swiss I'm not too big on, but when it's inside something it's great.

Adding the bacon sounds awesome as well. When I head to the store to pick up the chicken and cheese I'm gonna look around a bit and see if there's anything else that might make it pop.

[Serapth]

That's just it, I'm NOT a cheese guy...and I read what you said about no oily cheeses in the other thread, and feta I like because it has a nice mild flavor. I think I might go with either the feta or the swiss...Swiss I'm not too big on, but when it's inside something it's great.

Adding the bacon sounds awesome as well. When I head to the store to pick up the chicken and cheese I'm gonna look around a bit and see if there's anything else that might make it pop.

Go swiss then. I am no big fan of swiss unless its used in cooking. Not sure if you have a camera phone or another camera, but if you do, take step by step pics for everyone else to follow, before and afters rock, as do step by steps... worse case, you teach people how not to do it. If you don't know where to host the images, can I suggest Flexamail? (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=11236) ;)

EDIT: Oh, keep in mind, you need to pre cook the bacon, that or use prosciutto

[Serapth]

Oh, and here is my before/before pic.


Tonights cast of characters. Pretty simple over all.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1222

You may ask yourself... sliced blue cheese, wtf? To be honest, I am with you, I havent been that impressed, if you are going to do this yourself, get crumbled, the slices just dont work the same.

[Hawkzombie]

EDIT: Oh, keep in mind, you need to pre cook the bacon, that or use prosciutto

XD I'm not THAT bad of a cook!!

I'll be back later tonight with tales of my adventures.

[nixpayn]

Bacon Cheddar Muffins (yep!)

Heres what you need -
1 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (tho i usually use medium)
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tablespoon of salt
1/4 tablespoon of ground red pepper
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of cooking oil
6 strips bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled

---

What you do:

Grease a muffin pan. Sprinkle with cornmeal if you want.

In a bowl stir together first 7 ingredients. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl combine egg, milk, and oil. Add this to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Fold in crumbled bacon. Fill muffin cups even with the top of the pan. Bake @ 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins are golden. Serve warm. Makes 8 muffins.

----

If someone wants to give 'er a try, let me know how you make out :)

Getting bacon successfully into a muffin that doesnt taste... odd.. isnt easy ya know.

[Serapth]

Ok, decided to eat early ( just had dinner at 3:30PM... no lunch and these threads made me hungry ). Here is step by step what I did. It ended up being pretty much exactly what I said, although I changed the cooking times to 4 minutes and 4 minutes, and frankly wish I had gone 4mins/3 mins, but I like more rare then medium.


Here is the steak, slightly oiled before rubbing it in.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1226

Here it is, oil rubbed in, salt and pepper added. Notice the skillet preheating in the background, you want that sucker to be as hot as possible. You may or may not notice the cooking tray and preheating oven... but they are there too... ;)

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1228

Here is the steak cooking in the skillet... about 1 minute then...

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1230

FLIP, and cook for one more minute

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1232

Off to the side, I am combining a 1/4 of a 1/4 stick of butter with dried minced garlic, more pepper and my blue cheese.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1234

After the steak has been in the oven for about 4 minutes ( at 300-400, depending if you are a rare to medium well kinda guy ), pull it out and apply the blue cheese butter you've made.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1236

Let cook another 4 minutes ( personally I would have gone 3, in retrospect ). Pull the steak out and let sit ( under alluminium foil ) for another 5 minutes.

Here is the end result, cooked for 1 minute per side in the skillet, then 4 minutes per side in the oven.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1240

Personally, as I said earlier, I like slightly rarer ( this was a medium rare-medium imho ), so I wish I cooked it 3/3 in the oven.



In the end, my verdict... it was actually pretty damned good. Should have used a bit more blue cheese and a bit less butter. Next time I have a crappy cut of steak though, this is the perfect cut of meat, as the fatty bits were BY FAR the best parts. I feel overly full now though, because of too much butter. The butter blue cheese combo though, overwhelmed the meat... I wouldnt recommend using this recipe on a great cut of steak.


End verdict. Quite good, will make again, with the caveat that I will only use it on fatty cheap cuts of steak. Maybe a bit less butter next time.


Hope that wasnt too much info and that others are willing to post their own step by steps!

[Bone]

I've been working on my omelet. Yeah, it's just a fancy scrambled egg, but still. I recently opened the fridge and wanted to get rid of some random stuff I had in there, and ended up with an omelet that makes you want to slap your mama.

Mix in a bowl:
2 eggs, lightly fork-whipped (leave some stringiness between white and yolk)
a couple spurts of milk
2 calamata olives, diced
half an avocado (seriously, use half! it only looks like too much)
a couple slices of red and green pepper, diced
a little bit of onion, diced
half a small tomato, diced
sea salt (couple pinches)
tobasco (two or three drops)
Tony Chachere's seasoning (a pinch)

You could cook the pepper and onion separately in some olive oil if you like them a bit softer. I throw it all in and it's fine for my tastes.

I pour the mix into a large buttered pan (butter, not PAM!) on almost as low as my stove will go. Wait until you can move the pan around and no more liquid moves around. Don't flip it! Resist the urge. If your stove is set low enough, the bottom will become beautifully browned without burning.

Throw on some cheeses for the last couple minutes, just enough to melt it (I use a little shredded cheddar, some pepperjack, and crumbled gorgonzola). Maybe a few finely chopped pieces of parsley.

Use a large spatula and flip half the omelet back onto itself, and slide the whole thing off the (well-buttered) pan. Eat.

Then go slap your mama.

[civil]

I'll add that Serapth's suggestion of letting the meat sit for a few minutes is key. When going through this process it's imperative that you don't cut the meat within five, six minutes of taking it out of the oven. You will lose a lot of your flavor juices that way.

Bone, that sounds good but seeing as I don't eat eggs I'll serve it to Serapth's mom and slap her. Adding food to the mix will be a nice change of pace.

[Hawkzombie]

Got the ingredients, and plan on making it in a few hours. Per my wife's suggestions, we're going to try breading the chicken before frying it in the pan (no skillet, sadly) and then the oven.

I'm also trying some 'spicy' spices with it as well as a roasted garlic/pepper blend that I really like the flavor of. I think that with some Cayenne pepper and dried pepper flakes will really do nicely in the breading mixture. I'm also using a Jalapeno Jack cheese and prosciutto as well instead of bacon.

I'll post full details when it's all done, but we're both really looking forward to dinner tonight. It's basically going to be a spicy chicken cordon bleu instead of Serapth's idea in the other thread...but I think this'll be really yummy.

EDIT: Serapth, is that baking paper you're using there? My wife and I do the same, only because our cooking sheets are so old they're black all over, but it works surprisingly well for just about anything.

[Serapth]

I'll add that Serapth's suggestion of letting the meat sit for a few minutes is key. When going through this process it's imperative that you don't cut the meat within five, six minutes of taking it out of the oven. You will lose a lot of your flavor juices that way.

Bone, that sounds good but seeing as I don't eat eggs I'll serve it to Serapth's mom and slap her. Adding food to the mix will be a nice change of pace.

Thats fine, just don't tip fucking pesos again, you cheap bastard!

[Serapth]

Got the ingredients, and plan on making it in a few hours. Per my wife's suggestions, we're going to try breading the chicken before frying it in the pan (no skillet, sadly) and then the oven.

I'm also trying some 'spicy' spices with it as well as a roasted garlic/pepper blend that I really like the flavor of. I think that with some Cayenne pepper and dried pepper flakes will really do nicely in the breading mixture. I'm also using a Jalapeno Jack cheese and prosciutto as well instead of bacon.

I'll post full details when it's all done, but we're both really looking forward to dinner tonight. It's basically going to be a spicy chicken cordon bleu instead of Serapth's idea in the other thread...but I think this'll be really yummy.

EDIT: Serapth, is that baking paper you're using there? My wife and I do the same, only because our cooking sheets are so old they're black all over, but it works surprisingly well for just about anything.

Yeah, its baking or parchment paper and I mostly just use it to save myself on cleanup. :) Only times I don't use it is when baking something I need to cook on the outside ( french fries, battered fish ), then I let it cook directly on the metal. Otherwise, I always put down paper.

I think we may have gotten some wires crossed, as breading the chicken is basically the second thing you do ( after cutting the pocket and before stuffing). Just keep in mind, you want a good solid coating, so make sure to solidly coat the surface. Also, bread crumbs are your friend for filler. Also, this is the ideal point to add heat ( in the form of pepper, or dried peppers ). When you fry it, since you arent using a skillet, use the thickest frying pan you have and give it a good 5 minutes to heat up before adding oil. Make sure not to add too much oil either, as you are trying to sear, not deep fry the chicken. As a general rule, I put oil in the pan and then roll it around see if I can make most of the surface of the pan wet... if I can, thats pretty much enough oil. Then again, too much oil just makes it less healthy and more greasy, which isn't always a bad thing.

If your end result is a little greasy ( when you cut into it ), its probably the prosciutto, as it is pretty fatty. Should be fine, just a warning. Besides, grease can be yummy. Also, keep in mind, you can add some heat in your stuffing with the cheese and meat.

Also, post before/after pics, and let us know how it works. Its like a living recipe.

[civil]

Thats fine, just don't tip fucking pesos again, you cheap bastard!
What? It's the currency of love.

[Serapth]

What? It's the currency of love.

And syphilis.

[civil]

And your mama, she is'a rich!

[Hawkzombie]

I think we may have gotten some wires crossed, as breading the chicken is basically the second thing you do ( after cutting the pocket and before stuffing).

Ahhh, see, for some reason I figured you didn't bread it, and simply rubbed the spices all over the outside and seared it that way.

Well, it turned out a little different than I expected, but otherwise I was happy with the whole endeavor.

So what I ended up doing was gathering all my ingredients in one spot. I'm not really much of a cook (Well, I can do it, but I get all flustered and running around) so I wanted to make sure I had everything in one area.

http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0598.jpg

I've got olive oil, 3 chicken breasts, spices (that Roasted Garlic Pepper blend and Cayenne Pepper), bread crumbs, prosciutto, Jalapeno Jack cheese, and my garlic butter for the bread.

http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0599.jpg

I like mine saltier, so I used 2 heaping teaspoons of butter/margarine (Marg for me) and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and half a teaspoon of salt. Adjust to taste. It turned out pretty good, even if I burned the bread a bit :p

http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0600.jpg

For the breadcrumb mixture, I put in 1 teaspoon of the pepper and FIVE teaspoons of the Roasted Garlic Pepper blend. I'll be honest: the prosciutto and the cheese overpowered any spice I put in with the breadcrumbs, and I only got hints of it while eating. Next time I may go with bolder flavors or add more. Not to say that was a BAD thing...

http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0601.jpg

This, I found out later, was too much cheese. They not only didn't fully fit in the breast, but while cooking (and Montery Jack cheese is oil based...I'm never listening to my wife again :p) they oozed out quite a bit. Still, I think overall it turned out ok.

For the chicken, we made a milk and egg wash (1 large egg and half a cup of milk) and dunked them into the breadcrumbs. They didn't stick as much as I liked, so maybe next time I'll try and really coat them. This might also explain why the spices were such an afterthought. One other mistake I made was to put the oil in the pan too early, and everything got way too hot too quickly. Ended up only needing to sear the sides of the breasts like 30 sec. before popping them in the oven at 375 instead of 350.

http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0602.jpg
Before the Oven.

I cooked them for 15 min. and check them, and decided to go an extra five. My wife's a nurse, so she likes to be cautious. Pulled them out, and they were still pink in places.

http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0603.jpg

Cursing to myself I popped them back in for ten. Turns out I'm retarded. The pink? IT WAS PROSCIUTTO. I forgot, somehow, that they didn't fully fit in the breast and was poking at a soft pink...it was soft because it was filled with cheese. Still, 30 min in the oven didn't dry them out at all.

After that, the cheese was really oozing out, but they were 100% done. Popped one on a plate, cut it, and added the side dish (nothing special, just a SideKicks thing...sorta like Rice A Roni with extra veggies) and the bread.

My wife tried it......and loved it. The prosciutto and the cheese really carried the chicken along by themselves. personally, I think I may forgo the spices and just stick with those two. It was honestly all I could taste aside from the pieces of chicken by themselves (none of the ham or cheese)....really a tasty dish. Next time I can see what I'll do different, but for a first attempt, I'm rather proud.


OH! Almost forgot...I had planned on only wrapping the cheese with 1 slice of the prosciutto and cooking it that way, because I didn't think I had enough slices in the pack. We had 6 total, so I was able to wrap one AROUND the chicken after I breaded it as well....gave it a really tasty, crispy shell.
http://sketch.pcis-studios.com/room/Dscn0604.jpg

[Serapth]

That looks like it turned out pretty good in the end, although a bit off the original vision... ;)

Always nice to add a new recipe to the mix, eh? Seems like we get in the habit of making the same thing over and over and over and over... nice to mix it up a bit.


And dude, that pan... its gotta go. They cost like 4$ each :)



Time for someone else to step up and share! Try something new tonight and document it here.

[civil]

Are all Canadian stoves electric? Or do the Canadians on CoG just have spectacularly bad kitchen preferences? ;)

[Serapth]

Are all Canadian stoves electric? Or do the Canadians on CoG just have spectacularly bad kitchen preferences? ;)

I really wish mine was gas and if we built from scratch, I would definitely get a gas hookup. Then again, not having a gas oven is nice. No pilot lights or gas leaks.

So, you gonna step up with some kind of grass seed and tofu mixture?

[civil]

2 Parts Dirt
1 Part Grass
1 Part Tree Bark
3 Parts Self Righteousness


That'll get you a generic vegan eater - you can add some different oils and rock crystals for added flavor nuance. As for posting in this thread, the missus and I have either social engagements or different schedules all this week and if I cook for one it's always beans, corn, asparagus, nutritional yeast and pasta - not very exciting. I should be able to properly cook Saturday and if I remember I'll post.

[Hawkzombie]

LMAO...Nice civil :p

If I had my choice, I'd have an electric convection oven and a gas burner stove-top with cast iron skillets. It's really the only way to cook. I hate our stovetop, because the main burner we use has such obvious hot spots and makes cooking anything other than scrambled eggs awful. I'm surprised the chicken came out looking as good as it did.

EDIT: civil, I'm actually hoping you do post if you cook something. I'm still a meat eater through and through, but I'm wanting to try some healthier meal options.

[bapenguin]

A few weeks ago I made a pretty random thing.

We had almost no food in the house so I want freezer diving and found an old pack of Steak Ums and Tater Tots.

I cut up some peppers and onions and cooked those in a pan with crushed red pepper. Added the steak ums and cooked.

The tots were in the oven cooking the whole time.

When they were done I mixed the tots in with the steak, peppers and onions mixture and added some cheddar cheese, or cheese whiz.

Anyway...this was the end result.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/39369352.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1259762043&Signature=RkPn1kBpJlMXV0L2R5kzwIbHRC4%3D

It was damn good. Damn good I tell you.

[Serapth]

What is a steakum?

[DoctorFinger]

What is a steakum?It's sliced, frozen beef used to make sandwiches.

[Serapth]

It's sliced, frozen beef used to make sandwiches.

Oh, is it served between sheets of wax paper? Kinda like arbys meat?

We used to have those here.

[bapenguin]

Oh, is it served between sheets of wax paper? Kinda like arbys meat?

We used to have those here.

Yeah. It's used to make cheese steaks. Like I said, it was buried in the back of the freezer, so we obviously don't eat them often.

[pronounconnoun]

Are all Canadian stoves electric? Or do the Canadians on CoG just have spectacularly bad kitchen preferences? ;)

All the stoves in San Francisco are electric and it pisses me off. I can never get my desired heat ;)

[Serapth]

Yeah. It's used to make cheese steaks. Like I said, it was buried in the back of the freezer, so we obviously don't eat them often.

My mom used to always make them for us. Ive gone looking for them recently and nobody around me sells them anymore. They could actually make a pretty good sandwich if I recall correctly, if you don't look too closely at the meat.

[Serapth]

Well, here is the chicken recipe I mentioned before this thread spawned... kinda. More accurate to what i was describing, but at the same time, the chicken breast I choose was HUGE, so I couldnt exactly cut a pocket in the side. Instead its a single chicken breast, folded over and it fed two of us.


Here is the chicken breast uncooked with its natural fold:

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1305

Cut things a bit deeper. Normally I would say cut a pocket, but this is a damned big breast of chicken.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1307

Here is the plastic bag of crack... the magic if you will. In this case, its mostly breadcrumbs, mixed peppercorns, Cajun spices and salt. Shake thoroughly.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1311

It's all shook up. Here is your chicken on crack.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1313

Did I mention the bacon?

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1315

The cooking begins.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1317

Cut a slit for the bacon and cheese.

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1319
Speaking of that cheese and bacon...

http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1321

Voila.

[Hawkzombie]

damn that looks good...

[Backseat Killer]

I got two - one was a college concoction and the other was something I saw on a show, like a 2 second clip, and decided to try it for Thanksgiving (it went over well).

In college, my last day in my apartment, I was hungry but hadn't shopped in a while (moving and all) so I pulled out everything that was left: Chicken breast, mustard, chili powder, milk, eggs and bread crumbs. mixed the mustard, eggs, milk and chili powder then "breaded" the chicken breast. Cooked in the oven... not too bad. Kinda spicy, kinda juicy - pretty good! But that was 13 years ago - don't think I'd eat that now:)

The good one is a savory treat! Dates, goat cheese, ricotta, and prosciutto (chives and cinnamon are optional). Cut the dates on one side, length-wise, and remove the pit - this creates a nice pocket. Mix the cheeses - I made 3 bowls, 1 with plain cheese, 1 with chives mixed in and one with some cinnamon mixed in. Stuff the dates with the cheese and wrap with prosciutto. Stick a toothpick in to make it easier to eat as the dates and prosciutto are sticky. Sweet, savory and some prosciutto - SO GOOD! The bf's family loved them!

[evilgoodwin]

Here's what I'm currently munching on. There's no pictures, but I've never had the chance to see it prepared before my Mom gave me the recipe. Plus, it's all just prep, and don't have to do anything besides throw in a slow cooker.

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
2 chopped onions
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large potatos, chopped (I always use baking potatos)
1 Can tomatos (I know, but it gets a lot of moisture from them)
1 can Tomato Soup
1 1/2 lbs stew meat
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Dash of Worcestershire
Big squeeze of ketchup
3 Bay Leaves

Throw everything in a slow-cooker except for the bay leaves. Mix it all together (this is difficult and I used my hands, which is messy, but fun). When it's all mixed very well, put the three bay leaves on top, put a lid on it, and cook for 12 hours on Low. When finished, remove bay leaves, stir a bit. Eat.

...really. that's all. Not very great, but I'm a college student and wanted something I could eat on for a while.

Could probably be improved, made better, etc. But this works.

Oh, and I DO have real recipes, this is just what I've made lately, haven't had a chance to cook anything in a while and remembered to take pictures.

[MrBibbz]

In the footsteps of Bone, I made a batch of scrambled eggs with nothing more that hamburger seasoning (yes .. you read that right) and provolone cheese.

Simply take the dry burger seasoning and beat it into your eggs before you scramble them, top with provolone and server hot.

[Hawkzombie]

I need to start using the slow cooker more and more, honestly. We've got a really nice one, and some things that would be good inside, just need to remember to do it in the morning when I get my wife for work :p

[evilgoodwin]

Tonight, I successfully made my first steak. Ever. I used this (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/pan-fried_ribeye_steak_heaven_in_a_skillet/) as a guide (I love that site, helps me cook all sorts of things. And the nice big pictures help, too).

Cooking it in the skillet:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4236467734_62649a4db8_b.jpg

Flipped once:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/4235692843_09a8cfd1f3_b.jpg

Yay, potato flakes!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4236469488_e8e7a2b0ab_b.jpg


All and all, delicious. Cast-iron skillet = awesome investment.

[Serapth]

I discovered something by brilliant accident. I was making super thick bacon for breakfast and had so much grease forming, I decided to slice up some potatoes and toss them in.


Potato chips cooked in bacon is bliss.


http://www.flexamail.com/GetImage.ashx?id=1686

[DoctorFinger]

You discovered that cooking things in bacon grease makes them delicious? :D

[wsuhoey]

wsuhoey's Popcorn Recipe:

You will need:
- A 3-quart saucepan, with a lid (it's super critical to have lid; do not attempt without lid. A transparent lid is ideal.)
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Oil
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn (http://www.orville.com/our-popcorn/kernel-popcorn.jsp) (suggest buy bulk from warehouse places such as Costco).
- A large serving bowl to pour the popcorn into.
- An oven mitt to use on the lid.

1. Start by putting the 2 TBSP Corn Oil into the 3-qt Saucepan (the oil should cover the entire surface).
2. Add in the 1/3 cup popcorn kernels. Shake from side to side the saucepan a little bit so that all of the kernels are in the oil (so no more are loose).
3. Place lid.
4. Use your high output burner (front right usually?). Set heat setting to about 4 (on a scale 1-10; or just under medium) and hold; do not adjust heat setting.
5. Occasionally, use the saucepan's handle to move the popcorn around in the oil. So you hold the handle and just move the saucepan in a circular motion around the stove top (don't lift, keep it on the heat). I'm not sure what the actual name of this "technique" is called. -- At the start, the kernels won't move very much. As the oil heats up, the kernels will move around and flow more easily. When you hear the oil is starting to boil, the kernels will start popping soon.
6. When the popcorn reaches the lid, remove saucepan from heat, and carefully tilt the lid to allow popcorn to escape into the bowl; some kernels may still pop after, so be prepared and protect yourself with the lid.

For lightly salted popcorn, use 4-6 shakes of salt. I personally use 5.
If you are so inclined, you may of course add melted butter (or alternatives), but I think the corn oil will make butter unnecessary.

Enjoy!

[zarathstra]

wsuhoey's Popcorn Recipe:

You will need:
- A 3-quart saucepan, with a lid (it's super critical to have lid; do not attempt without lid. A transparent lid is ideal.)
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Oil
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn (http://www.orville.com/our-popcorn/kernel-popcorn.jsp) (suggest buy bulk from warehouse places such as Costco).
- A large serving bowl to pour the popcorn into.
- An oven mitt to use on the lid.

1. Start by putting the 2 TBSP Corn Oil into the 3-qt Saucepan (the oil should cover the entire surface).
2. Add in the 1/3 cup popcorn kernels. Shake from side to side the saucepan a little bit so that all of the kernels are in the oil (so no more are loose).
3. Place lid.
4. Use your high output burner (front right usually?). Set heat setting to about 4 (on a scale 1-10; or just under medium) and hold; do not adjust heat setting.
5. Occasionally, use the saucepan's handle to move the popcorn around in the oil. So you hold the handle and just move the saucepan in a circular motion around the stove top (don't lift, keep it on the heat). I'm not sure what the actual name of this "technique" is called. -- At the start, the kernels won't move very much. As the oil heats up, the kernels will move around and flow more easily. When you hear the oil is starting to boil, the kernels will start popping soon.
6. When the popcorn reaches the lid, remove saucepan from heat, and carefully tilt the lid to allow popcorn to escape into the bowl; some kernels may still pop after, so be prepared and protect yourself with the lid.

For lightly salted popcorn, use 4-6 shakes of salt. I personally use 5.
If you are so inclined, you may of course add melted butter (or alternatives), but I think the corn oil will make butter unnecessary.

Enjoy!

This is almost exactly how I make popcorn, except that I use olive oil instead of corn oil. I find the olive oil gives it a nice flavor besides the corn itself. I use butter every once in a while, but mostly just salt. Or Old Bay. Seriously, try it.

[JRR006]

Quick Make-Marinara-Sauce-from-a-Jar-Tastier "Recipe":

Pour about a cup of sauce into small pot and turn the burner on medium-low.
Open a can of marinated artichoke hearts, rinse, dump into sauce.
Add about a teaspoon of dried basil (or to taste).
Add some freshly-ground black pepper.
Heat the sauce for about ten minutes. Stir when it starts bubbling.

Pour over pasta of choice. Or just eat the sauce by dipping homemade garlic bread, as I'm doing tonight. Refrigerate leftovers.